March 2008

 ST. PAUL'S SCHOOL
This school year we launched our new motto: "Love to Learn; Learn to Love". We think that this summarises the two things we are trying to do as a school community. We not only want our children to learn, but to love learning, so that they have skills and attitudes which will equip them for life. We also want them to learn to love each other according to Jesus' commandment that we love our neighbours as much as we do ourselves. As a church school, this is very important to us.
As part of developing our desire for children to love learning, we continue to take steps to make our curriculum exciting and challenging so as to engage all learners. To follow on from the French Week that I wrote about in the last edition of Chipperfield News, we have just had a fantastic Media Week in which the children had visits from film makers, radio presenters and journalists. We have made our own films, pod casts, newspapers and animations, using the latest technologies!
The village history prize this year went jointly to Lucy Luff and Charlotte Lassman from Year 5 for their amazing work on Victorian Chipperfield. The standard of work from all of our Year 5 children was exceptionally high this year and examples of their work are displayed in our entrance hall. We hope to put it on display elsewhere in the village thereafter. We thank the Parish Council and the Historical Society for their support for the children's work.
If anyone would like to come into school as a volunteer, please let us know as there are many opportunities available. You are also welcome to share in some of our assemblies. Rev. Jim Stevens welcomes all to his Monday morning assemblies here in school at 10.10am, or you might like to come in to see one of our sharing assemblies on Friday mornings at 9.15am. At sharing assemblies, one class shares the work that they have been doing with the rest of the school so that we get to see some of the terrific work that the pupils and staff do on a regular basis.
You may have already heard that we have obtained planning permission for two new classrooms to replace the two "temporary" rooms that have been there for about 25 years! This is fantastic news for us! At the time of writing we are still waiting to hear whether our bid for funding the new rooms has been successful.
If you would like to receive regular news from the school via our weekly email newsletter, please send your email address to: admin@stpauls909.herts.sch.uk, otherwise you can wait until the next instalment in Chipperfield News!
Norah Tattersall, Headteacher

CHIPPERFIELD COMMUNITY FUND
When the administration of the funds in the former Village Chest was transferred to the Dacorum Community Trust with the new title of The Chipperfield Community Fund, it was agreed that the financial position of the Fund would be reported upon annually. Copies of the Dacorum Trust's accounts for the financial year ending 31 March 2007 have now been received and show that no claims were made in that year and the amount in our Restricted Fund stands at £3,873.
This is perhaps a good time to remind residents that the Chipperfield Community Fund monies are being held Ôto be used in cases of need within the Parish of Chipperfield (Civil and Ecclesiastical)'. If you yourself are in need at this time or would like further information, please contact Margaret Kingston at the Trust's office at 48 High Street, Hemel Hempstead HP1 3AF Telephone 01442 231396.
In cases of urgent need, the Trust can, in appropriate circumstances, make a very rapid response. The Trust would, of course welcome further donations to the fund that local people or organisations would like to make.
David Nobbs

ANOTHER TREE PLAQUE DISCOVERED
Malcolm Durrant, our tireless Village Warden, has unearthed another plaque from beneath the brambles round the Common. The wording on this one says:
This tree was planted on
19 March 1977
The Silver Jubilee of
Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II
and presented by the
Chipperfield Branch of the Royal British Legion and the Chipperfield Jubilee Committee
on behalf of the residents of the village
Does anyone remember the occasion? More importantly, can anyone remember WHICH tree? The plaque can be put back in the right place if we can find out where it should go.

DACORUM'S MUSEUM STORE
Did you know that Dacorum has a wealth of interesting local artefacts and memorabilia stored in a building in Berkhamsted, behind the Civic Centre and that you are able to visit on a monthly ÔTuesday Tour at Two'?
To book a tour, please call Dacorum Heritage Trust on 01442 879525 or send
an e-mail to assistantcurator@dacorum heritage.org.uk. Tours cost £3 per person. Unfortunately the Store is not wheelchair accessible, although alternative arrangements can be made.
The Museum Store welcomes donations of all kinds of artefacts and memorabilia which have connections with Dacorum, e.g. household gadgets, named photographs, books, war medals and clothes of bygone eras.
The Museum also provides an education service for schools and adult groups.
Mary Nobbs

ST. PAUL'S CHURCH ÔSON ET LUMIERE' APPEAL
I am pleased to report that thanks to the generous financial support from many local villagers, both past and present, the ÔSon et Lumire' appeal is proceeding very well and has reached the sum of £105,000.
The cost of renovating the lighting of just under £30,000 has been paid and the project has proved very worth while. The organ restoration is necessary to upgrade and enhance this splendid instrument which underwent essential repairs a few years ago. The aim, once the work is completed, is to hold regular organ recitals for all music lovers. May I appeal to all interested supporters who have yet to contribute to help raise the final £5,000. Tax efficient forms are available at the back of the church or from me by telephoning 01923 262549
Richard A. Edwards

THE GOOD NEWS AND THE BAD NEWS FROM THE TAXMAN
The good news is that after the 6 April 2008 the standard rate of tax will go down from 22% to 20% putting more cash in the pockets of most tax payers. The bad news is that the churches and charities that we support will suffer a drop in their income if we do not share with them some of that extra cash by increasing our giving to a figure that maintains the same or a higher figure after they have claimed back the tax.
For example if your Gift Aid giving to charity in the year is £100, after claiming tax by the 5 April 2008 those charities will receive £128. In a full year after the 6 April 2008 the total is reduced to £125. If you wish the charity to receive the earlier total your Gift Aid donations should be increased to £102.60 and because of the decrease in standard rate tax most people will not be out of pocket. If giving is not increased in this way the major charities will suffer reductions in their income of many hundreds of thousand of pounds. Local churches and charities will also notice a significant drop in their income unless their supporters are willing to adjust their giving.
Janet Cornell

TREND & THOMAS AT THE POST OFFICE STORES
You will probably be aware that estate agents and chartered surveyors, Trend & Thomas, advertise properties for sale at the Post Office Stores. The response so far has been very positive, despite difficult market conditions.
To kick-start the year, Bipin and Adrian (of Trend & Thomas) have come up with a scheme which would benefit the village. For any property sold in 2008 through Trend & Thomas, the agent will make a donation of £200 to the village organisation of the vendor's choice e.g. the school, church, village hall etc. So if you are planning to move or sell your house this year, please give it a thought and seriously consider using Trend & Thomas. They have been selling property in the villages for 25 years and have an unrivalled marketing strategy, which includes all major websites.
Please ask for a brochure with details of their services by telephoning 01923 773616 or taking one from their display in the Post Office Stores. There is a direct line mounted on their display which connects straight through to their Head Office.

HEALTH WALKS
These twice-weekly walks round The Common are proving to be very popular. Each lasts about 40 minutes, with an optional longer route of about 1 hour. The walks leave Blackwells at 9.30am every Tuesday and Thursday and are accompanied by trained leaders.

MOBILE POLICE OFFICE
Next visit on Tuesday 11 March in the Church car park from 11am-1.30pm.
PCSO David Alexander will be able to security mark mobile phones and bicycles. He also has safety lanyards which easily clip to handbags to thwart bag-snatchers.

GARDEN VISITORS
Some visitors are more welcome than others and it is just the same in the garden. We are eagerly awaiting the arrival of the frogs and toads to spawn in the ponds. After that they should be quite hungry and eat a nice lot of our slugs.The herons that come to feed on them will not be welcome at all! It is horrible to look out of the window and see a poor old frog, still alive, being juggled by the heron so that it goes down head first. Ted and I do our best to chase them off, but it is a full time job.
Some guests are nice to see but have nasty habits and the badgers could do with a lesson in toilet behaviour. Right opposite our back door in my Beth Chatto gravel garden is not the best place for a latrine when they have the whole garden to choose from! My best alliums are being dug up in the process. Fortunately neither of us has much sense of smell, but I am not sure what it will be like in the summer.
Rabbits have never been welcome and their numbers are on the increase. Once the grass begins to grow thing should improve but just now my new bit of garden by the pond is being nibbled to death.The winter flowering heathers that should have provided nectar for early flying insects and bees have been chewed right to the ground. They have even chewed some bark from low branches in the new orchard. I wish the buzzards would pay us a call, as they seem to have the rabbit population under control in Scatterdells Wood. Maybe the foxes will help themselves to a few - it would be nice if they did something useful for a change.
So far my hens have stayed safe in their sturdy ark, but I would not let them free range with so many foxes about. I move the ark every day so that they always have something fresh to peck at. The eggs are wonderful and there are always enough for my visitors to go home with half a dozen!
Wendy Bathurst

HAIRDRESSING AND PAMPERING (WITH COFFEE) FOR OLDER RESIDENTS
Mandy Yendell, a qualified hairdresser with over twenty years experience, will be hosting weekly sessions for senior citizens in Chipperfield Village Hall.
Pamper sessions which will include hairdressing, manicure and Indian head massage will be held on Wednesday mornings and start on Wednesday 12 March from 9.30am until 12.30pm. Homemade cakes, tea and coffee will be available to tempt you!
Mandy's approach is tailored to individual needs and she offers hairdressing for both men and women as well as all aspects of hair colouring. Her manicure sessions include a hand massage and she is also able to offer nail extensions to your own personal design.
Please ring for an appointment or to discuss your requirements on 01923 262007 or 07725 891 029

NEIGHBOURHOOD WATCH
Andy Reynolds is the newly appointed Watch Liaison Officer for Dacorum and takes up his post after 3 years working at Police Headquarters as Crime Reduction Officer. Andy is working to establish a new, secure data base - Online Watch Link or OWL. The OWL system will enable messages to be sent to and received from Neighbourhood Watch Co-ordinators by telephone, e-mail, fax and in urgent circumstances by text message.
Andy also intends to improve the exchange of information. If, for example, a member of a Neighbourhood Watch has reason to contact the police to report an incident, he is willing to interrogate police computer systems to try to provide feedback that may have been missing in the past.
There are a number of Neighbourhood Watch groups in the village and if you would like to establish one with your neighbours, contact Andy on 01442 271020 or by e-mail at andy.reynolds@herts.pnn.police.uk

CRIME FIGURES IN HERTFORDSHIRE
from April 2007 to mid December 2007

All recorded crime - down 12.7%
Domestic burglary - down 4.9%
Motor vehicle crime - down 1%
Robbery - down 24.5%
Serious violent crime - down 24.3%
Source: British Crime Survey Crimes per 1000 residents - Hertfordshire compared to ÒMost similar forcesÓ as set by the Home Office

VILLAGE PEOPLE
Christine and Steve Simmonds-Moore are the proud parents to baby daughter Sienna, born at home in Liverpool on 14 August. Christine and her American husband have just returned from a trip to North Carolina for Sienna's American grandparents to meet their first grandchild. They returned in time for the Christmastide wedding celebration of Christine's brother Mark to Caroline Cooper on the 29 December. Congratulations! What a wonderful time for the family all to be together! Mark and his new wife are living in Hemel Hempstead. Jacky and Terry Simmonds particularly enjoyed having all four grandchildren (Jasmine, Amelie, Alfie and Sienna Ð all born within 14 months of each other!) together at this happy time.

Congratulations to Jim Phillips of Penman's Green who celebrated his 80th birthday on 18 January. Jim and his family spent a lovely weekend in Devon enjoying beautiful weather.

We regret to announce the deaths of both Sheila Hudson and Dave Cox last month and extend our sympathy to the members of both families. Their funerals were held on 12 February and 20 February respectively.
We hope to publish tributes to both Sheila and Dave in our next issue.


NEWS FROM THE CHURCHES
THE BAPTIST CHURCH
It is the month of Mars and I don't mean the one that helps us to work, rest and play. As if we didn't know already, March is so called because it was named after the Roman god of war. In fact because of the likelihood of blistering hot weather in the Mediterranean later in the year, March was deemed the best month to start a war.
Interesting that this year Easter is early and falls into the month of war.
Easter is the most important time of year for Christians, and it is a time churches celebrate (yes I do mean celebrate) the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ. It is the correct word to use but I do appreciate that many would ask why a load of people would look to a time of false imprisonment, coercion and intimidation of witnesses, a kangaroo court, torture, pain, anguish, loneliness and finally inhumane execution as a time to celebrate. Well if you look at it from those points I would wonder too.
However Easter does not stop at Good Friday. Sunday is coming!
It is the resurrection that is celebrated and that is what makes all the difference. In the resurrection we see the full and final vindication of who Jesus was. It is in the resurrection of Jesus that we are shown that God has made peace with us all. Every little wrong action, thought and inclination has been taken away regardless of whether we deserve it or not.
In this month of war we can all find peace with God, with others and with ourselves. There is always an open invitation from God; why don't you join us?
Love Jason
The Man in the Manse

Baptist Church News:
We had a joint Churches service on 20 January in the Baptist Church for the beginning of the Week of Prayer for Christian Unity. Our Pastor, Jason, led the worship, and Rev. Jim Stevens preached the sermon - a good time of fellowship together. Please note that the Women's World Day of Prayer service is at St Lawrence, Bovingdon, on Friday 7 March at 10am, and all ladies, gents and children are welcome to come to what is usually an inspiring service.
It's not too late to contact Jacky on 01923 265221 to book your place for the frugal lunch in aid of Tear Fund on 9 March after church. The service will be led by our Pastor, and there is to be a speaker from Tear Fund to talk about their work.
There are two events for your diary: The May Fair (date to be confirmed) and The Chiltern West Gallery Quire, who are doing a "church crawl" of local Baptist Churches on 14 June , and will be visiting our church. Please make a note of these events.There will be more information in future issues of Chipperfield News.

ROMAN CATHOLIC CHURCH
January saw our annual Quiz Night, luckily for most of us a sociable, rather than intellectually challenging, event. (Your correspondent's team still didn't win!). We are well-used to "Sport" or "History" rounds but, on this occasion, the subjects were disguised under ambiguous titles so declaring a joker was more an act of faith than a considered decision.
One round new to us was to provide the second lines of hymns. This had the whole room humming and "La-la-ing" in an attempt to retrieve buried words.
Add together a stimulating quiz, a delicious meal, a bar, smooth organisation and good company and you get a great evening's entertainment. Our thanks to everyone who worked so hard to make the event so successful.
We were all delighted to welcome Fr. Des back after his spell in hospital.
Janet Keates


ST PAUL'S AND HOLY CROSS
Increasingly I sense that we are a people ill at easeÉ the financial situation seems increasingly volatile; we fear for the future as confidence in those who "control" these things seems to be on the wane... the competence of those "in power" and the integrity that should go with their position appears to be in increasingly short supplyÉ Violence in both its terrorist and gratuitous forms is still all too present in our newsÉ
And it's nearly Easter! What has that to do with today and our future?
Amazingly enough the first Easter was supremely a time of judgement! Set before us are people with very different priorities. There is the Zealot, determined to see political change through violence, who also had an eye for improving his own financial situation in the process! There is the Governor, bent on holding on to power, whatever the costÉand the quasiÐreligious, whose goal was to maintain their position in society, and all the prestige that went with it, even if it meant blatantly flouting their religious laws! (which they did)Éand all in their own way determined to achieve their aims by whatever means seemed expedient.
Into their world comes this "nobody" whom they do not, or perhaps will not understand! He seems to have nothing, but yet is both a threat, and whose charisma at least one person thought could be decidedly usefulÉ
And judgement takes place. The Zealot is the first loser, as he realises he is just a pawn in someone else's hand, and his financial gain is seen as worthless. The "nobody" is the next loser: publicly disposed of, even if it was somewhat embarrassing for those who arranged it! History tells us the Governor didn't last long, - so he was a loser too, - as were those quasi-religious ones, given decent burials no doubt, but all they strove to maintain was utterly destroyed in AD70.
And the winner? Well, He happens to be around today, ready graciously to show us our priorities, with the love and gentle power to change them so that we stand the judgement of eternity. Come to think of it, could that be the only thing which, in the end, matters! I wish you much lasting joy this Easter season and onwards,
Jim Stevens
St. Paul's website address is www.stpaulschipperfield.co.uk

WOMEN'S WORLD
DAY OF PRAYER
A special service at
10am on Friday 7 March
This is a Christian event shared every year on the same day by people all over the world. Each year it is prepared by a different country and this year it has been written by the Christian women of Guyana in South America.
The churches of Chipperfield, Sarratt and Bovingdon will be taking part as usual and this year the service will be held in St. Lawrence's Church in Bovingdon at 10.00am on Friday 7 March. Men, women and children of all Christian denominations are warmly invited to come and share this inspirational service.

STELLA BARKER 1916 - 2008
On 19 January this year, Mrs. Barker, known to her friends as Stella, died. She died as she had wished, in her own home in Scatterdells Park with her much-loved brother-in-law beside her. Joe had come down from Sunderland, their home town, to be with her for the last three weeks of her life.
Stella, a widow for many years, had numerous friends. Her cheerfulness, the warmth of her welcome and the depth of her gratitude for any kindness, however small, won the admiration and affection of many caring people. It was her strength and their service that made it possible for her to live to the ripe old age of 92 with only Max, her dog, for company. May she rest in peace. She will be missed.
MMS

PONDS ON THE COMMON
Every year Dacorum Borough Council arrange for Bedwell Fisheries Services to check the condition of the ponds in the borough. This is an extract from their report on three ponds on The Common:

Apostles Pond
This much-visited pond in the woodland is an important part of the local landscape as well as being a very important part of the woodland eco-system. It is a useful watering hole for local wildlife and an important aquatic habitat. This pond contains Crucian Carp and Gudgeon as well as some unwanted ornamental fish (goldfish and shubkins) which have been dumped in the pond.
Over the last few years we have been removing any fish other than native species and I am glad to report that we seem to be winning. A few years ago the Crucian Carp population was failing due to the non-native fish but last year we noticed an increase in the number of carp caught during our fish surveys.
The Apostles Pond is also an important habitat for Common Newts. There are four species of dragon flies present and a large population of water beetles.
Frog Pond
This small pond has remained a quiet corner as it is out of the public eye and seldom visited. It plays an important part in the woodland habitat and has an important population of Rams Horn Water Snails and a good population of dragon flies.
It is important that small ponds like this have some work carried out each year to keep the area round the pond clear and the surface of the pond free from grass growth.

Manor Pond
Another small pond with an important population of Crucian Carp. This small member of the carp family is the only native carp in this country and they are under pressure due to the loss of small ponds and the introduction of other fish species. Dragon flies and Common Newts also inhabit this pond and a small amount of work is needed every year to keep this pond a viable habitat.

MARCH IN YOUR GARDEN
With Terry Simmonds
Until the 1960s all trees and shrubs, roses and herbaceous perennials were grown in the ground in nurseries and had to be planted in the garden between November and March. Today we are lucky because all these plants are container-grown and we can go along to the garden centre and plant them throughout the year. Raspberry canes and hedging plants such as beech and privet and many plants offered mail order are not container-grown and these must be planted this month.
We should now be sowing under glass the bedding plants such as alyssum, lobelia, busy lizzies, petunias and marigolds and potting up plug plants. Hardy annuals such as godetia, eschscholzia, larkspur, achillea, clarkia, nigella and nasturtium can be sown outdoors now. Under glass it's time to sow tomatoes, cucumbers, peppers, French beans and aubergines. Outdoors in the vegetable garden sow broad beans, parsnips, onions, peas, spinach, beet and some of the brassicas. Salad crops such as lettuce and raddish should be sown now with further sowings at regular intervals.
It is time to plant out the seed potatoes, Jerusalem artichokes, onion sets and shallots. Remember to plant leafy vegetables on ground that has been manured but rootcrops , such as carrots and parsnips, on ground that has not been manured. With the exception of basil and coriander, most herbs can be planted now.
It's a good time to lift and divide herbaceous plants and to plant new ones. Roses will need to be pruned and so too will shrubs such as buddleia. Late-flowering clematis such as C. jackmanii should be cut back hard. The birds will be nesting now so do not cut hedges until the little ones have left the nests.
March is the right time to start work on lawns, scarifying and aerating them and putting on the first application of good fertilizer such as Gem or Evergreen. Moss is quite likely to be a problem this year and lawn sand or a fertilizer containing a mosskiller will help. Don't cut lawns too short, especially in dry weather. Turfing and seeding new lawn areas can go ahead now, irrigating as necessary for the first month and then it is time to put the lawn sprinkler away in the shed.
Use bonemeal when planting new shrubs and roses and Toprose fertilizer around established plants.Rhododendrons and azaleas need a special ericaceous fertilizer. Mulching with bark chippings or organic material will help to conserve moisture in dry weather and the use of a sheet of landscape fabric beneath the mulch will certainly help to keep down the weeds.
March is always a busy time in the garden and this year the Easter holiday is early and the extra days off should help. We might also have time to visit some of the gardens open to the public such as The Saville Garden in Windsor Great Park and the R.H.S. garden in Wisley, entry to which is free to members of the Royal Horticultural Society.
Chipperfield Horticultural Society holds its Spring Flower Show on 29 March and the Bovingdon Show is a week later. The first big national event is The Malvern Spring Gardening Show which is held from 8 to 11 May. For tickets for this show Ôphone 01684 584924 or go to www.threecounties.co.uk. The big show is of course The Chelsea Flower Show from 20 to 24 May and tickets for this can be booked on 0870 842 2217 or www.rhs.org.uk/flowershows

HELLO CELLO
Laura Rose is an experienced professional cellist with over 20 years experience. She has performed in many diverse settings, ranging from the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra to Joan Armatrading and Burt Bacharach and has toured all round the world. As well as performing, teaching the cello has always been an important part of her life and Laura has taught pupils of all standards from the age of 6 to 60. She moved here from London with her family over a year ago and is keen to promote string playing in Chipperfield and is offering lessons at competitive rates. For more information please contact Laura on 01923 270105.